Focusing on Content Connections

Connecting
Thinking Maps to
State Content
Standards

Chapter 4
 Focusing on State Standards
Objective:
•To connect the Thinking Maps with specific state content standards.

Discuss Content or
Welcome Content Grade Level
and Connections Groups “map”
Agenda based on state standards
national strands

Planning Closure and

time for expectations A Language for
classroom for sharing Learning
applications. student work
Chapter 4
 Your students are
beginning to use Thinking
Maps to deepen their
understanding of academic
vocabulary.
You Have
Applied You have integrated the
Thinking Maps use of Thinking Maps with
to A Variety of your students’ note taking
Content Areas strategies.

CHAPTER 4 Your students are beginning

CONTENT to use Thinking Maps in their
understanding of Literature,
CONNECTIONS Science, Social Studies, and
Mathematics
 Page 170
AN OVERVIEW OF CHAPTER 4

Starter
Patterns
are based
on
suggested
National
Strands
for each
content
area.
 Page 172

STARTER PATTERNS FOR LITERARY ANALYSIS

 Page 184

STARTER PATTERNS FOR MATHEMATICS

 Page 202
STARTER PATTERNS FOR SCIENCE
 Page 220

STARTER PATTERNS FOR SOCIAL STUDIES

 MAKING THE CONNECTION

Create a Tree Use the labels to If more than one

Map (landscape) match your standards map is needed,
with a category with the maps that write the name of
for all 8 could be used to the map below the
Thinking Maps. teach the standard. standard label.

Grade Level or
Content Area
Standards

and
Flow
 MAKING THE CONNECTION

Use a highlighter to mark the Create a list of key words

key word (academic language) for each Thinking Map
for each standard. category.

Grade Level or
Content Area
Standards

Key Key Key Key Key Key Key Key

Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words
Impact
Effect
Key Words – page 77 Cause
changes
 DECONSTRUCTING A STANDARD

1. As a team, choose one of the

standards on your Tree Map and
deconstruct it.
2. Try to think of all of the maps you
might need to teach that standard.
Use the suggestions identified in
Chapter 4 to help you connect the
Thinking Maps to your content.
3. If time permits, put the actual content
in the maps.
4. Draw the maps on the same sheet with
the standards.
 DECONSTRUCTING A STANDARD

Compares and contrast the

motives of characters in a
work of fiction.
 DECONSTRUCTING A STANDARD
Students know how to differentiate among igneous, sedimentary,
and metamorphic rocks by referring to their properties and methods
of formation (the rock cycle).
 Closure

Take some time to meet by grade level or

department in order to plan how you might
use Thinking Maps to engage students in
learning the content standards you are
responsible for teaching.
After applying these ideas in your classroom,
save your students’ work and be prepared to
share their examples at our next follow-up
session. Be sure to write the state standard
being addressed on the student work.